The Project Plan

Column colours across the Project Toolkit
Grey — automatically updated via Control Center, formulas, or cell linking. Do not edit manually.
White / Yellow / Blue — manually editable directly in the sheet.

Getting there

Three routes to the Project Plan:

Through the Project Folder under the Project workspace
Via the Project Link column in the intake sheet, then the Project Schedule icon on the Project Dashboard
Via the Project Schedule hyperlink in the Navigation section of any other toolkit sheet

What should already be populated

The Project Information section pulls through from the Project Intake Sheet:

Project Title · Cluster Name · Objective Name · Sponsoring GM · Project Leader · Project Partner · Proposed Start Date · Proposed End Date

The Navigation section should contain working links to the other toolkit assets.

Templates

The sheet should contain two template sets (blue rows):

The Project Type template for this project — or OTHER - Other if that type's template doesn't exist yet
Generic Tasks

Irrelevant templates are removed automatically, but not immediately. When you first open a new sheet you may see every template listed.

To remove them manually:

Open Sheet Summary
Tick Remove Irrelevant Templates
Save the sheet

Confirm only the relevant templates remain.

Column reference

You enter these

Column	Notes
Task Name	Phases and templates are pre-entered. Edit to suit the project, or add a row for a new task.
Description	Optional.
Trigger Approval	Tick to trigger approval. Only on approval tasks — shown in pink.
Complete?	Tick when the task is done. Updates Status.
On Hold	Tick to put the task on hold.
% Complete	Enter at task level. Rolls up to phase and project automatically.
Role Responsible	Pre-populated dropdown. Drives auto-assignment via the Reporting Line Matrix.
Assigned To (Override)	Assign a specific user, or override the auto-assignment.
Start Date	Actual start date.
End Date	Actual end date. Past dates highlight red.
Duration	Task duration in business days.
Predecessors	Link preceding tasks.

End Date and Duration are linked. Set one and the other recalculates. Enter the End Date and Duration updates; enter the Duration and End Date updates.

Changing dates on a dependent task prompts a pop-up asking whether to break the predecessor relationship. Select OK to let the dates adjust.

The system calculates these

Column	Logic
Health	RAG based on Variance, Status, and Start Date. See thresholds below.
Milestone	Locked. Flags project-level or reportable milestones. Some are pre-identified.
Approval Status	Set by the approver (Assigned To) as Approved or Declined.
Status	On Hold when On Hold is ticked · Not Started at 0% · In Progress at 1–99% · Complete at 100%
Assigned To (Auto)	Shows who the task is assigned to.
+/- Proposed End Date	Locked. Business-day offset between the project's Proposed End Date and this task.
Due Date	Proposed End Date plus the offset above.
Overdue	Flags automatically when Due Date is before End Date.
Variance Days	Due Date minus End Date.
Variance %	Variance Days as a percentage of Duration.
Latest Comment	Most recent comment from the row's Conversation panel.

Health (RAG) thresholds

RAG	Condition
🔴 Red	Status is not Complete and today is more than 7 business days past the Start Date — or Variance Days is worse than -14 business days
🟡 Amber	Status is not Complete and today is 0–7 business days past the Start Date — or Variance is between -7 and -14 business days
🟢 Green	Status is Complete, or none of the above applies

Complete always wins. A task marked Complete shows green regardless of how late it ran.

Approval tasks

Approval tasks are shown in pink.

Confirm Assigned To (Auto) shows the right approver — set Assigned To (Override) if not
Tick Trigger Approval
The approver receives an approval request and marks it Approved or Declined
The Project Leader is notified of the outcome

Related articles

Budget Tracker
Setting Up the Contact and Reporting Line Matrices
The Project Intake Sheet